Producer: Miami Dolphins were the only choice for HBO's 'Hard Knocks'

The all-access show currently has no parameters

May 30, 2012|By Izzy Gould, Sun Sentinel

DAVIE — Joe Philbin rose out of his sleep Wednesday with no regrets.

Perhaps the first-year Miami Dolphins coach was still blinded by the bliss of his new found relationship with HBO's documentary series "Hard Knocks," an all-access look into training camp beginning Aug. 7 with a weekly one-hour program.

Philbin said he met with producers Thursday, and had a bunch of questions Friday before he was at peace with the decision to open the locker room to the cameras of NFL Films.

"I have no reservations what so ever," Philbin said during Wednesday's more formal announcement at the team's training facility.

There were reports other NFL teams had turned down offers to do "Hard Knocks." NFL Films senior coordinating producer Ross Ketover disputed those claims.

"We cast a wide net," Ketover said. "We talk to a lot of teams to gauge their interest. Some are very interested. Some are interested with caveats that are not acceptable with us. Others say we'll do it in future years. Others are not interested.

"The fact of the matter is, despite what you read, we did not offer the show to any other team but the Dolphins."

It's unclear what -- if any -- specific parameters will be established between the Dolphins and the 24 crew members deployed to chronicle every move of the Dolphins once they arrive July 26 for training camp.

Ketover said in all 100 people will "touch the show" including 25 editors at NFL Films to get each episode formatted 24 hours before it airs, then cut it down to length mere hours before its scheduled showing. He noted one example of potential wrangling within the course of production in 2010 chronicling the New York Jets, specifically negotiations between the franchise and then-holdout Darrelle Revis.

"I'm sure there were things -- contract details -- that could have affected the negotiation that maybe we didn't use," Ketover said. "The reason we picked the teams we pick is they're comfortable that year in letting us see everything that goes to make a team.

"As of now the Dolphins have not given us anything that is off limits."

Philbin seemed content with a simple traditional way of doing business with "Hard Knocks" producers - trust.

"They were very honest when they came to talk," Philbin said. "They talked about trust, and they talked about access. ...They know how to do their job. They're not going to teach us to run Cover 2, or an outside zone play. We're not gong to tell them how to film a TV show. I think that trust is part of any successful affiliation."

Philbin laughed off the notion of becoming a TV star when asked as if the idea suddenly resonated within. He said he has never seen the show, and doesn't watch reality television.

The most recent book he completed? The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

Asked from various angles over a two-day period how the presence of cameras could be a potential distraction, Philbin artfully defused concerns.

One popular target has been rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who is an obvious story line due to the expectations placed on him by the franchise. He will compete with incumbent Matt Moore and former Pro Bowler David Garrard for the starting quarterback job.

"He's going to be facing third-and-11 with eight guys up and a lot of noise and he can't hear," Philbin said of Tannehill. "I think the guys will be fine. We're going to learn more about these guys from this show, and I think it will be good exposure for those guys. Obviously, if they can't handle this stuff we might be in some trouble when it's fourth-and-7 and we have to make the play."